Feeling Alone in a Crowded Congregation
We are social beings, and human connection is essential for our brain functioning, physical health, and emotional well-being. Loneliness is the unsurprising symptom of an individualistic society.
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Why Study the Book of Deuteronomy?
If we have yet to grasp what’s so great about Deuteronomy, it may be that we have misconceived it.
What Are the Limits of a Church’s Authority?
Christians today tend to give little attention to the idea of church authority, just like we give little attention to church membership and discipline.
How (and How Not) to Think about Retirement
A good retirement is far from a given. Due reflection must be given to how you will take advantage of the new opportunities available and how bad choices can easily disappoint.
Why Living for God Depends on Good Theology
We live for Christ because Christ lived and died for us. But we are not able to maintain a Christ-focused life apart from being “Spirit energized.”
What to Do When It Feels Like God Is against You
When you’re facing times of trouble and it feels like God is against you, there are two important things to do.
Jesus doesn’t say that we must. But he says we will. In that sense, fasting is not an obligation, but it is an opportunity—and one too powerful to miss.
True Peace Isn’t Found in the Absence of Conflict
When pain tempts me to feel disheartened and glumly stare out a window, I stand up to my miserable emotions. I quell those dark feelings by singing about peace and resting my soul in God.
Dear Pastor . . . You’re a Shepherd, Not an Entrepreneur
If we plant churches as pastors, not entrepreneurs, whose aim is to love Christ and feed and tend the sheep of Christ’s reward, then we can sleep well knowing our work will endure.
A Word for the Discouraged Christian
The Apostle Paul remembered who he was in Christ. He remembered that beating within him is none other than Christ himself—the indwelling Christ with all his resources of power and love and joy.
10 Things You Should Know about the African Church
It is said that the number of Christians in Africa at the beginning of the twentieth century was about 9 million and that by the end of the twentieth century it was about 380 million.
Do We Play Any Role in Our Sanctification?
God is the one who enables us to do the good works he has called us to do.
10 Things You Should Know about Christmas
The primary purpose for observing Christmas is remembering Jesus’s birth.
Retirement presents a new freedom to live your life according to your God-given priorities.
Was Shakespeare a Christian Writer?
Leland Ryken encourages us to look at the Christian elements present in Shakespeare's plays.
10 Key Bible Verses on God’s Omniscience
O LORD, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar.
Our church’s gatherings are ultimately about God. We worship according to his desires, not ours. When we gather we should be governed by God’s word, not our preferences.
Why Study the Book of Leviticus?
If you have trouble mustering up the excitement to read through Leviticus, you are not alone.
6 Things to Look for in a Pastor
What are some things to consider when searching for a new pastor to lead the church?
How the Exodus Shapes the Whole Bible
The reason the exodus story is so important is partly that it is so foundational to the whole Old Testament.
Why I Wrote a Book about the Marrow Controversy
What is Jesus really like, truly like—deep down, through and through?
5 Guidelines for Preparing Congregational Prayer
Effective public prayer must be well-prepared prayer. This is the engine that will move all the other principles.
10 Things You Should Know about Inaugurated Eschatology
Traditionally eschatology consists of the return of Christ, the resurrection, the final judgment, heaven, and hell. Here's what else you should know.
How Hannah’s Prayer Found Its Fulfillment in Mary’s Magnificat
Why does Luke talk so much about God being "high"? The answer lies in Mary’s praise in the well-known Magnificat.
The Church’s Central Role in the Coming of the Kingdom of God
It’s not to the government, nor to any king or pope or any other ruler, but rather to the church that the keys of the kingdom of God are given.
How to Be Confident in the Resurrection: Look to Its First Witnesses
How can anyone be confident that the resurrection really happened? The first followers of Jesus didn’t claim their leader rose from the dead because of gullible ignorance or blind faith.
4 Ways to Look for the Good in Others
All of us can see the good in our friends. Scripture, however, authorizes us to see the good and enjoy it in all people, even when most of us are not always so good.
What Did Jesus Teach about Giving Generously?
The reason money is so crucial for Jesus is that across all cultures and all ages it represents the alternative to God as the treasure of our hearts, and therefore the object of our worship.
We Are Both Job and Job’s Friends
One important question in reading any biblical text is who you, as a reader, identify with. This is easier for some texts than for others. Who do we identify with in the book of Job?
To Cry Is Human, but to Lament Is Christian
Every human being has the same opening story. Life begins with tears. It’s simply a part of what it means to be human—to cry is human. But lament is different.